AP WORLD HISTORY
August 2015
• Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year!
Congratulations on choosing AP World
History, a demanding yet exciting course which
emphasizes the development of non-western
human society. This is a college level class in
which you will be expected to do extensive
outside reading, detailed writing assignments,
and independent research.
AP Related Issues
• AP course grades are weighted to reflect a greater level
of achievement in terms of GPA and rigor in course
work. This means grade of a C in an AP class is
equivalent to a B in a regular class due to weighted
grades.
• This class is designed to help you pass the AP World
History test given in May. You may be able to receive
college credit for passing the AP WH test, however each
university makes their own determination or what score
to accept in lieu of college course work. Colleges do
look carefully at transcripts. Taking AP classes and
attempting to pass the test rank very high for admissions
consideration, especially at competitive institutions.
AP Related Issues
• Many religious and cultural values will be explored; however
no particular view will be favored over the others. AP World
History reflects a global perspective of history, and the content
will not exceed 30% Western History. Study will focus not on
facts, but rather overarching themes throughout human
society.
• The course imposes a heavy reading and writing load
throughout the year, and the demands on the students are
equivalent to a full-year introductory college course. Students
and Parents should expect that there is some work/reading to
be done almost every night, and study time should be planned
for various assignments. Students also need to understand
that it is always required to read the chapters that are covered
in class. Failure to read will lead to poor results in the
class and on the AP exam!
Course Textbook and
Resources
• Our textbook this year will be:
• Stearns, Peter N. et al. World Civilizations:
The Global Experience. 4th ed. AP Version.
New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.
Textbook
• Students are encouraged to access
additional resources online at
• https://portal.mypearson.com/login
AP World History Themes
• *Interaction between humans and the
environment
– Demography and disease
– Migration
– Patterns of settlement
– Technology
AP World History Themes
• *Development and interaction of
cultures
– Religions
– Belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies
– Science and technology
– The arts and architecture
AP World History Themes
• *State- building, expansion, and
conflict
– Political structures and forms of governance
– Empires
– Nations and nationalism
– Revolts and revolutions
– Regional, trans- regional and global structures
and organizations
AP World History Themes
• *Creation, expansion, and interaction of
economic systems
– Agriculture and pastoral production
– Trade and commerce
– Labor systems
– Industrialization
– Capitalism and Socialism
AP World History Themes
• *Development and transformation of
social structures
– Gender roles and relations
– Family and Kinship
– Racial and ethnic constructions
– Social and economic classes.
Historical Thinking Skills
• Historical analysis requires familiarity with a great deal of
information about the past - names, dates, facts, events, and
the like. Without reliable and detailed information about the
past, historical thinking is not possible.
• Yet historical analysis involves much more than the compilation
of data about the past. It calls also for distinctive reasoning
skills. History is not a simple effort to collect information but
rather a sophisticated quest for meaning about the past. This
quest involves a rigorous and fair-minded analysis of
documents and other sources of information about the past. It
calls for individuals who respect all relevant historical evidence
and reasoning- not just those elements that support a preferred
or preconceived position. The quest for historical meaning
entails the cultivation of six distinct but also interrelated and
overlapping intellectual skills:
Historical Thinking Skills
• 1. Crafting Historical Arguments from Historical Evidence
• Historical Argumentation
– Historical thinking involves the ability to define and frame a question about the
past and to address that question through the construction of an argument. A
plausible and persuasive argument requires a clear, comprehensive and
analytical thesis, supported by relevant historical evidence — not simply
evidence that supports a preferred or preconceived position. Additionally,
argumentation involves the capacity to describe, analyze and evaluate the
arguments of others in light of available evidence.
• Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical Evidence
– Historical thinking involves the ability to identify, describe and evaluate evidence
about the past from diverse sources (including written documents, works of art,
archaeological artifacts, oral traditions and other primary sources), with respect
to content, authorship, purpose, format and audience. It involves the capacity to
extract useful information, make supportable inferences and draw appropriate
conclusions from historical evidence while also understanding such evidence in
its context, recognizing its limitations and assessing the points of view that it
reflects.
Historical Thinking Skills
• 2. Chronological Reasoning
• Historical Causation
– Historical thinking involves the ability to identify, analyze and evaluate the
relationships between multiple historical causes and effects, distinguishing
between those that are long term and proximate, and among coincidence,
causation and correlation.
– Patterns of Continuity and Change over Time
– Historical thinking involves the ability to recognize, analyze and evaluate the
dynamics of historical continuity and change over periods of time of varying
length, as well as relating these patterns to larger historical processes or
themes.
• Periodization
– Historical thinking involves the ability to describe, analyze, evaluate and
construct models of historical periodization that historians use to categorize
events into discrete blocks and to identify turning points, recognizing that the
choice of specific dates privileges one narrative, region or group over another
narrative, region or group; therefore, changing the periodization can change a
historical narrative. Moreover, the particular circumstances and contexts in
which individual historians work and write shape their interpretation and
modeling of past events.
Historical Thinking Skills
• 3. Comparison and Contextualization
• Comparison
– Historical thinking involves the ability to describe, compare and
evaluate multiple historical developments within one society, one
or more developments across or between different societies, and
in various chronological and geographical contexts. It also
involves the ability to identify, compare and evaluate multiple
perspectives on a given historical experience.
• Contextualization
– Historical thinking involves the ability to connect historical
developments to specific circumstances of time and place, and
to broader regional, national or global processes.
Historical Thinking Skills
• 4. Historical Interpretation and Synthesis
• Interpretation
– Historical thinking involves the ability to describe, analyze, evaluate and
create diverse interpretations of the past — as revealed through primary
and secondary historical sources — through analysis of evidence,
reasoning, contexts, points of view and frames of reference.
• Synthesis
– Historical thinking involves the ability to arrive at meaningful and
persuasive understandings of the past by applying all of the other
historical thinking skills, by drawing appropriately on ideas from different
fields of inquiry or disciplines and by creatively fusing disparate, relevant
(and perhaps contradictory) evidence from primary sources and
secondary works. Additionally, synthesis may involve applying insights
about the past to other historical contexts or circumstances, including the
present.
Course Activities
• A) Multiple Choice Tests (25%)
– Multiple Choice Tests will be designed to simulate the AP
Test. There will be 4 choices and if students don’t know
the right answer, they need to try and eliminate wrong
answers in order to make a good guess and get a high
score. Tests will be cumulative to try and build up and
retain knowledge from earlier chapters. Tests will be
scored on a curve using the AP 5 point scale. It is
important to realize tests will cover assigned readings, not
lecture topics.
– It is important to realize tests will cover assigned readings,
not lecture topics. Reading needs to be finished over the
weekend before we discuss the chapter. Failure to read
will significantly lower your grade!
Course Activities
• B) Essays (25%)
– Essays will include three types; Document Based Questions
(DBQ), Change over Time (COT), Comparative (COMP)
writings. Essays will be written both outside of class and
timed essays written during class. Essay packets will be
assigned to do at home for each unit, these will include all 3
types of essays, peer reviews and one graded rewrite. Take
home essays need to be typed and are due at the end of
each unit. We will analyze primary sources, outside
readings, oral histories, maps, charts and visuals (art,
architecture, and political cartoons). This primary source
analysis will help you directly with the tasks required for the
Document-Based Question (DBQ) essay on the exam, but
the daily use of historical materials also will help you practice
using evidence to make plausible arguments. You also will
become expert at identifying point of view, context, and bias
in these sources. Essays will be scored using the AP 9 point
rubric scale.
Course Activities
• C) Final (20%)
– Each semester will conclude with a
cumulative final. Students will have an
opportunity to show what they have learned
over the entirety of the course, and should
understand like a college course, finals have
a significant impact on their grade.
Course Activities
• D) Assignment Packets (15%)
– Assignment packets are due before the test
covering the assigned reading. They include
note cards, timeline, maps and activity from
the chapters. Students are encouraged to do
an historical inquiry or current event
connection to get a higher score.
Course Activities
• E) Projects (5%)
– Both group and individual projects will be
assigned to help review the course material.
– After the AP Test in May, enrichment projects
will also be assigned.
Course Activities
• F) Portfolios (5%)
– Students are required to keep their tests, essays,
warm ups, essay and assignment packets in a
portfolio for each unit. These will be due at the end
of each unit and should be kept throughout the
course as they are very helpful in reviewing
information for the exam.
Course Activities
• G) Participation (5%)
– Students are expected to participate at a high
level in an AP class, both in answering
questions and volunteering information for
discussions. Students will be given warm-up
questions at the start of class with thesis
statements, and turn these in at the end of
each week.
Course Outline
• Period 1: Technological and Environmental
Transformations, to c. 600 B.C.E. (Chapter 1)
• Key Concept 1.1. Big Geography and the Peopling of the Earth
– I. Archeological evidence indicates that during the Paleolithic era, hunting foraging bands of
humans gradually migrated from their origin in East Africa to Eurasia, Australia and the
Americas, adapting their technology and cultures to new climate regions.
• Key Concept 1.2. The Neolithic Revolution and Early Agricultural
Societies
– I. Beginning about 10,000 years ago, the Neolithic Revolution led to the development of
new and more complex economic and social systems.
– II. Agriculture and pastoralism began to transform human societies.
• Key Concept 1.3. The Development and Interactions of Early
Agricultural, Pastoral and Urban Societies
– I. Core and foundational civilizations developed in a variety of geographical and
environmental settings where agriculture flourished.
– II. The first states emerged within core civilizations.
– III. Culture played a significant role in unifying states through laws, language, literature,
religion, myths and monumental art.
Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of
Human Societies,
c. 600 B.C.E. to c. 600 C.E. (Chapters 2-5)
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•
•
Key Concept 2.1. The Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions
– I. Codifications and further developments of existing religious traditions provided a bond among the
people and an ethical code to live by.
– II. New belief systems and cultural traditions emerged and spread, often asserting universal truths.
– III. Belief systems affected gender roles
– IV. Other religious and cultural traditions continued parallel to the codified, written belief systems in core
civilizations.
– V. Artistic expressions, including literature and drama, architecture, and sculpture, show distinctive
cultural developments.
Key Concept 2.2. The Development of States and Empires
– I. The number and size of imperial societies grew dramatically by imposing political unity on areas where
previously there had been competing states.
– II. Empires and states developed new techniques of imperial administration based, in part, on the
success of earlier political forms.
– III. Imperial societies displayed unique social and economic dimensions.
– IV. The Roman, Han, Maurya and Gupta empires created political, cultural and administrative difficulties
that they could not manage, which eventually led to their decline, collapse and transformation into
successor empires or states.
Key Concept 2.3. Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange
– I. Land and water routes created transregional trade, communication and exchange networks in the
Eastern Hemisphere, while separate networks connected the peoples and societies of the Americas
somewhat later.
– II. New technologies facilitated long-distance communication and exchange.
– III. Alongside the trade in goods, the exchange of people, technology, religious and cultural beliefs, food
crops, domesticated animals, and disease pathogens developed across far-flung networks of
communication and exchange.
Period 3: Regional and Transregional Interactions, c.
600 C.E. to c. 1450 (Chapters 6-15)
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Key Concept 3.1. Expansion and Intensification of Communication and Exchange
Networks
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Key Concept 3.2. Continuity and Innovation of State Forms and Their Interactions
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I. Improved transportation technologies and commercial practices led to an increased volume of trade,
and expanded the geographical range of existing and newly active trade networks.
II. The movement of peoples caused environmental and linguistic effects.
III. Cross-cultural exchanges were fostered by the intensification of existing, or the creation of new,
networks of trade and communication.
IV. There was continued diffusion of crops and pathogens throughout the Eastern Hemisphere along the
trade routes.
I. Empires collapsed and were reconstituted; in some regions new state forms emerged.
II. Interregional contacts and conflicts between states and empires encouraged significant technological
and cultural transfers.
Key Concept 3.3. Increased Economic Productive Capacity and Its Consequences
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I. Innovations stimulated agricultural and industrial production in many regions.
II. The fate of cities varied greatly, with periods of significant decline, and with periods of increased
urbanization buoyed by rising productivity and expanding trade networks.
III. Despite significant continuities in social structures and in methods of production, there were also
some important changes in labor management and in the effect of religious conversion on gender
relations and family life.
Period 4: Global Interactions, c. 1450 to c. 1750
(Chapters 16-22)
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Key Concept 4.1. Globalizing Networks of Communication and Exchange
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Key Concept 4.2. New Forms of Social Organization and Modes of Production
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I. In the context of the new global circulation of goods, there was an intensification of all existing regional trade networks
that brought prosperity and economic disruption to the merchants and governments in the trading regions of the Indian
Ocean, Mediterranean, Sahara and overland Eurasia.
II. European technological developments in cartography and navigation built on previous knowledge developed in the
classical, Islamic and Asian worlds, and included the production of new tools (such as the astrolabe or revised maps),
innovations in ship designs (such as caravels), and an improved understanding of global wind and currents patterns — all
of which made transoceanic travel and trade possible.
III. Remarkable new transoceanic maritime reconnaissance occurred in this period.
IV. The new global circulation of goods was facilitated by royal chartered European monopoly companies that took silver
from Spanish colonies in the Americas to purchase Asian goods for the Atlantic markets, but regional markets continued
to flourish in Afro-Eurasia by using established commercial practices and new transoceanic shipping services developed
by European merchants.
V. The new connections between the Eastern and Western hemispheres resulted in the Columbian Exchange.
VI. The increase in interactions between newly connected hemispheres and intensification of connections within
hemispheres expanded the spread and reform of existing religions and created syncretic belief systems and practices.
VII. As merchants’ profits increased and governments collected more taxes, funding for the visual and performing arts,
even for popular audiences, increased.
I . Traditional peasant agriculture increased and changed, plantations expanded, and demand for labor increased. These
changes both fed and responded to growing global demand for raw materials and finished products.
II. As new social and political elites changed, they also restructured new ethnic, racial and gender hierarchies.
Key Concept 4.3. State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion
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I. Rulers used a variety of methods to legitimize and consolidate their power.
II. Imperial expansion relied on the increased use of gunpowder, cannons and armed trade to establish large empires in
both hemispheres.
III. Competition over trade routes (such as Omani-European rivalry in the Indian Ocean or piracy in the Caribbean), state
rivalries (such as the Thirty Years War or the Ottoman-Safavid conflict) and local resistance (such as bread riots) all
provided significant challenges to state consolidation and expansion.
Period 5: Industrialization and Global Integration, c.
1750 to c. 1900 (Chapters 23-27)
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Key Concept 5.1. Industrialization and Global Capitalism
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I. Industrialization fundamentally changed how goods were produced.
– II. New patterns of global trade and production developed that further integrated the global economy as industrialists
sought raw materials and new markets for the increasing amount of goods produced in their factories.
– III. To facilitate investments at all levels of industrial production, financiers developed and expanded various financial
institutions.
– IV. There were major developments in transportation and communication, including railroads, steamships, telegraphs and
canals.
– V. The development and spread of global capitalism led to a variety of responses.
– VI. The ways in which people organized themselves into societies also underwent significant transformations in
industrialized states due to the fundamental restructuring of the global economy.
Key Concept 5.2. Imperialism and Nation-State Formation
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I. Industrializing powers established transoceanic empires.
– II. Imperialism influenced state formation and contraction around the world.
– III. New racial ideologies, especially Social Darwinism, facilitated and justified imperialism.
Key Concept 5.3. Nationalism, Revolution and Reform
– I. The rise and diffusion of Enlightenment thought that questioned established traditions in all areas of life often preceded
the revolutions and rebellions against existing governments.
– II. Beginning in the 18th century, peoples around the world developed a new sense of commonality based on language,
religion, social customs and territory. These newly imagined national communities linked this identity with the borders of
the state, while governments used this idea to unite diverse populations.
– III. The spread of Enlightenment ideas and increasing discontent with imperial rule propelled reformist and revolutionary
movements.
– IV. The global spread of Enlightenment thought and the increasing number of rebellions stimulated new transnational
ideologies and solidarities.
Key Concept 5.4. Global Migration
– I. Migration in many cases was influenced by changes in demography in both industrialized and unindustrialized societies
that presented challenges to existing patterns of living.
– II. Migrants relocated for a variety of reasons.
– III. The large-scale nature of migration, especially in the 19th century, produced a variety of consequences and reactions
to the increasingly diverse societies on the part of migrants and the existing populations.
Period 6: Accelerating Global Change and
Realignments,
c. 1900 to the Present (Chapters 28-36)
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Key Concept 6.1 Science and the Environment
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Key Concept 6.2 Global Conflicts and Their Consequences
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I. Researchers made rapid advances in science that spread throughout the world, assisted by the
development of new technology.
II. Humans fundamentally changed their relationship with the environment.
III. Disease, scientific innovations and conflict led to demographic shifts.
I. Europe dominated the global political order at the beginning of the 20th century, but both land-based
and transoceanic empires gave way to new forms of transregional political organization by the century’s
end.
II. Emerging ideologies of anti-imperialism contributed to the dissolution of empires.
III. Political changes were accompanied by major demographic and social consequences.
IV. Military conflicts occurred on an unprecedented global scale.
V. Although conflict dominated much of the 20th century, many individuals and groups — including
states — opposed this trend. Some individuals and groups, however, intensified the conflicts.
Key Concept 6.3 New Conceptualizations of Global Economy, Society and Culture
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I. States, communities and individuals became increasingly interdependent, a process facilitated by the
growth of institutions of global governance.
II. People conceptualized society and culture in new ways; some challenged old assumptions about
race, class, gender and religion, often using new technologies to spread reconfigured traditions.
III. Popular and consumer culture became global.
Course Structure
• The course will use the
following grade scale;
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–
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A:
B:
C:
F:
90 - 100 %
80 - 89%
70 - 79%
0 - 69%
• All tasks will be graded
using the 5 point AP
Rubric scale;
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5 (Exemplary)
100%
4 (Advanced)
90%
3 (Proficient)
80%
2 (Basic)
70%
1 (Below Basic) 60%
0 (Not turned in)
0%
Incomplete/Late work
• To receive full credit, assignments must be
turned in before the test or essay Friday.
• Students with a verified absence must turn in
work due and make up any assessment on the
day they return to class in order to receive full
credit.
• Students may make up work that is incomplete
or below basic until the end of each unit for a
maximum score of 2 (basic; 70%)
• Don’t have any missing assignments, turning
something in is much better than not turning
anything in (60% vs. 0%)
Communication and Materials
• Course lectures, assignments, grades and other
information are available on my website at;
http://www.teacherweb.com/ca/greatoak/herbst/
• Sign up for my newsflashes to get the latest information
and updates about AP World History.
• You may also contact me by email:
kherbst@tvusd.k12.ca.us
• or by voice mail (951)294-6450 x3211
• Students will need a pack of index cards (500), 5
folders in which to keep their portfolios, and a box of
colored pencils to use throughout the year
Course Expectations
• My main class rule is RESPECT.
– This means respect for me, your peers, and the classroom. No
putdowns are allowed, even if you’re joking. Keep your hands to
yourself. Use proper language and keep our room clean.
• Be ready to learn.
– This means stay in your assigned seat and work quietly. Pay attention
and don’t use any electronic devices.
• Be Responsible
– This means come to class and be on time. Make sure you are inside the
classroom when the bell rings. The school attendance and tardy policy
will be enforced, and grades can be lowered for missing too much class.
If you miss class, find out the assignment.
• Do the Right Thing
– Be honest, have integrity. Do your own work. Stay positive; ask yourself
how I can do better? Do whatever it takes to get the job done to the best
of your ability. Don’t take shortcuts.
Course Expectations
• The following consequences will be applied
for rule violations;
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1st Warning: Verbal
2nd Warning: Classroom Cleanup
3rd Warning; Time Out/Detention
4th Warning; Parent Contact
5th Warning; Office Referral
• You are in an AP class; we work too hard for
any distractions. If you can’t behave,
transfer out!
• Please return the signature page and keep the
syllabus for future reference
• I look forward to having you in class this year.
• If we work together, we can succeed!!!
•Mr. Herbst